Featured Articles from the RedEye Chicago

The Michelin Guide's second annual Chicago edition was released today, and chefs around town are seeing stars - but fewer than last year, it turns out. The famous French guide is notoriously tightfisted when it comes to awarding its star designations (three means exceptional, two is excellent and one is very good). In this year's guide, 21 Chicago-area restaurants received stars, down from 23 last year. Of the two restaurants - Alinea and L20 - that received three-star ratings in Michelin's first Chicago guide last year, only one, Grant Achatz's renowned Alinea in Lincoln Park, maintained its status.

Being punched in the face for an iPhone is not pleasant. Regrettably, I'm one of the growing number of victims who can say this from personal experience. A couple of weeks ago, I was mugged on a quiet afternoon in my cozy Old Irving Park neighborhood. I made the mistake of entering what I call The Smart Phone Zone - in which I tried to walk, listen to a podcast and tweet at the same time. Meanwhile, two large men in hoodies silently sprinted up to me from behind. Before I had a chance to turn around, one of them began punching me in the head and knocking me to the ground while the other kicked me and ripped my iPhone 4 from my hands.

Last night, the 16 cheftestants for "Top Chef: Texas" were finalized, and this season is 37.5 percent Chicago. That's right: All six of the Chicago-based chefs included in the group of 29 hopefuls made the final cast. With five of the six Chicago chefs having completed their first round of competition in the first episode, our eyes were on remaining local chef Beverly Kim from Aria in last night's second episode. Each chef in her group was asked to choose an ingredient to cook with, and each was secretly matched with a preparation time ranging from 20 to 60 minutes.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Older Americans are now 47 times richer than the youngest generation, marking the largest wealth gap ever recorded between the two age groups. In 2009, households headed by adults 65 years and older held a median net worth of $170,494, while households headed by adults 35 years and younger held a net worth of $3,662, according to a report by the Pew Research Center. While it's typical for older generations to hold more wealth than younger ones who've had less time to save, the gap between the two age groups has widened rapidly.

The World Series is over, which can mean only one thing: free-agent frenzy! Between the Cubs and White Sox, 10 players filed for free agency this weekend. Assuming we've seen the last of these guys in Chicago uniforms, we rank them in order of who will be missed most. 1. Mark Buehrle , Sox 2011: 13-9, 3.59 ERA, 205 1/3 innings He might not fit into the team's payroll anymore, but Sox fans would be thrilled to have him back. 2. Reed Johnson, Cubs 2011: .309, 5 HRs, 28 RBIs Puts up solid numbers for a backup outfielder and doesn't cost much.

With the Bears (4-3) on their bye week, all Chicago fans had to do was sit back, relax and watch the other NFL action unfold, right? Not exactly. Even at this point in the season there are playoff implications to worry about. So how frightening were some of the results Sunday? Detroit 45, Denver 10 Fear factor: 4 out of 4 An upset by the Broncos would have pulled the Bears even with the Lions (6-2) in the loss column. Instead, Detroit QB Matthew Stafford proved effective even at less than 100 percent.And the Bears play the Lions again Nov. 13. St. Louis 31, New Orleans 21 Fear factor: 2 out of 4 It's possible that the race between New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Atlanta will leave only one playoff team standing from the NFC South, and the Bears already have beaten the latter two teams.

Meredyth Richards says it's tough in Chicago for a conservative. The 24-year-old Lincoln Park resident is politically active, passionately devoted to Republican causes and living in a city where the numbers are stacked against her. Richards, the president of the Chicago Young Republicans, said she's even considered moving. Why does she stay? "Aside from being a masochist, I don't really know," Richards said, perhaps only half-jokingly, while adding that "the city is wonderful and it has its perks.

Some might think Hollywood is one vast stretch of liberal-leaning actors, singers and power-brokers. But RedEye turned up a few names of celebs who've supported conservative policies, parties or candidates to add to GOP mainstays such as Stephen Baldwin, Ben Stein - and, of course, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Angie Harmon: The "Rizzoli and Isles" actress talked to talk show host Chelsea Handler last year about being Republican and having gay friends. Dennis Miller: Last month on his program, the comedian and radio host lent his support to Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.

The myth of The Winner is a powerful one in sports. Just ask Tim Tebow, who might be the worst passer in the NFL, yet somehow the most popular. After last week's "Miracle in Miami" you could have renamed Twitter "Tebwitter" after all the talk about the Broncos' improbable comeback. So how could a kid with a goofy delivery inspire people to buy Tebow billboards or start a hilarious new internet meme called Tebowing ( tebowing.com )? Part of it is Tebow's aw-shucks, nice guy persona, but a lot of it has to do the way we rationalize things that aren't easily digested.

It's getting hard out there for a foreign guy. There used to be a time when my biggest problem on weekends was choosing which house party to go to or which dinner invitation to accept. Not anymore. Let me give you some background. After coming to America as a college student from - wait, where am I from? - I ended up taking a job in Chicago. Rather than wallow in Midwestern isolation, I soon was overjoyed to notice a pattern of LeBron-like demand for my presence at after-work events, happy hours and guys' nights out. Back then, the foreign sidekick had the run of the town because we were considered safe, fun and distinct.

The NBA lockout has caused the cancellation of the first month of the regular season. It's also locking out Bulls fans from their favorite team. Tuesday should have been the day the Bulls opened the season against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. Instead, the only "action" of any relevance is taking place inside conference rooms. "The lockout has sucked," said Andrew Hummer, 23, of Orland Park. "After such an exciting season for the Bulls, the lockout couldn't have come at a worse time.

"American Horror Story" will be freaking viewers out for another season, FX confirmed Monday. FX picked up the haunted house thriller for a 13-episode second season. The first season has nine new episodes airing at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, with the final two airing Dec. 21 Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the series about a fractured family that moves into a haunted house has garnered mixed reviews but stellar ratings for FX. According to the network, its on track to becoming the highest rated first season of any FX series.

Typically, the CTA asks for your attention (please), but now you've got theirs. Hearings about the 2012 CTA budget—which calls for management reductions but no service cuts or fare hikes to close a $277 million shortfall—start this week. Riders will be able to voice their concerns about any transit issues to the CTA board on Wednesday at Westinghouse High School, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd. Two budget meetings are scheduled for next week. When fare hikes and service cuts are on the table, riders pack these meetings and protesters bang drums outside CTA headquarters on the Near West Side.

Sam Mack played in the NBA for 10 seasons for five teams. But while his old teams aren't playing right now, Mack still is. He's a member of the American Basketball Association's Chicago Steam. Last season the Steam were the Midwest Regional ABA champs and Mack was an all-star. With the increasing likelihood that the Bulls won't play this year, the Steam are hoping basketball fans will turn their attention to the ABA. RedEye chatted with Mack about the ABA and the NBA lockout. What should NBA fans know about the ABA?